


Smiles

by gothfoxx



Series: Hitting the ground before falling [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Blood, Drowning, M/M, PTSD, Pokemon AU, hinted romances, marvle AU, mawling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-06
Updated: 2012-10-06
Packaged: 2017-11-15 19:11:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/530722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gothfoxx/pseuds/gothfoxx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vacation at the Beach turns ugly when a Carvanah joins in. aka How Luminescence gained her third Pokemon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The beach

**Author's Note:**

> I know I'm starting in the middle but I already had this story done. Anyway hope you like it because I sure had a blast writing it!

he team got a few days of vacation so Tony flew them all out to the beach(tropical because he wanted to really treat everyone). Lum didn't want to go with them saying, "I'm not part of the team Tony, I'm a glorified secretary at best!" to which he replied, "You slapped an alien queen when she called you peasant, you are a BAMF and you are coming with us." 

Now that she was there Lum had taken to sticking under the umbrella and making sure no one got heat-stroke. The few days they had gone by pretty fast and on their last day after much pestering from Clint, Tony and weirdly enough Bruce; she has a feeling he just wanted her to get into a swimsuit(for scientific reasons only cause this realities Bruce was playing for the other team) but Lum finally went swimming. 

She had only been in for maybe twenty minutes when something rough brushed against her. It didn't really hurt but it was enough to grab her attention and what she saw made her blood run cold. A Carvanah circling back towards her at top speed!

There was no time for her to use her wings, Lum just braced herself for the impact she knew was coming. But what she wasn't ready for was a sharp, ripping pain gripped her leg, like burning metal was trying to replace her flesh and muscle. A shocked scream filled her ears but her mind couldn't register where it came from let alone that it was her own scream. 

The beast thrashed and pulled with the strength of a Machoke, pulling Lum under the water that was darkening with blue blood. The pain was so intense hat she couldn't feel it anymore, that was a bad sign but she wasn't thinking logically at the moment. Instinct kicked in and Lum started to fight back, biting ad clawing at her attacker marking its top fins with impressions of her teeth. A blur of blue fog made it hard to see

Natasha was closest to her when the attack happened; her sharp eye caught a glimpse of red and yellow. Alarmed she raced as fast as she could with the water slowing her pace. Once reaching the burning sand Nat grabbed her bag, pulling a sharp fishing knife from a side pocket before she heard the blood curdling scream wash over the beach. "Shit" was all she could say; she was too late, too slow.

Thor was a warrior so wen Nat reacted the way she did he noticed. Mjöllnir was still on the beach where it could not shock anyone in the water (Steve's idea not Thor's). And now he regretted letting the great Captain convince him that that was a good idea. He didn't know what was happening but if it caused Natasha to show fear then it must be bad. When he heard the scream he knew t was worse than bad.

Clint was on the beach 'playing' volleyball with Tony, mostly he hit the inflatable ball as far as he could just to make Tony have to run after it. It’s amusing to watch someone so out of shape try to catch a runaway ball. He felt more than saw Natasha run back to the beach. A chill filled the air as she fought franticly against the pull of the water basically throwing herself onto the sand crawling to her bag. The scream made her pause if only for a microsecond. He looked to the water; it was blue, too blue. It was the color of ink; it was the color of an ally's blood.

Bruce had brought a book along today, he wasn't really reading it though. He was peering over the edge watching as everyone was having fun and relaxing. It was a good change from the constant battling (in all sense of the word). Tony was once again chasing the volleyball that Clint had purposely hit too hard and it took almost everything Bruce had not to laugh. His focus was disrupted when a soaking wet Natasha sprinted up the beach skidding and lading close by. Her hands flew to a bag, unzipping a side pocket frantic in her search. It was a confusing sight to behold, Bruce was about to ask what had her so frazzled but he was cut off by a nightmarish screech. His heart stopped, "No." he breathed as he looked over, Lum was nowhere to be seen but a growing pool of deep cobalt could be seen even from this distance. 

The volleyball was being pushed by the wind farther down the beach then Tony would have liked. His breath was quick and labored, drinking in the air like he had eaten too much candy and now was downing it with a drink that sadly was also sweet. He found the thought funny and chuckled as he finally reached the ball. He had turned to go back to the net but stopped dead in his track as movement in the ocean caught his eye. A flailing body was dragged under the surface; a delayed yelp was carried in the breeze. A cold sweat coved his body as a small well of inky liquid started to smudge the once lovely blue-green water.

Being the one to volunteer to fetch lunch, Steve was substantially farther away than everyone else. Still with super-human sight and hearing Steve knew almost a soon as the rest of the team that their 'gal Friday' was in trouble. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, running was the next thing he was aware of, bags of food/plates/soda forgotten as he bolted across the parking-lot and onto the vast expansion of sand.


	2. The hospital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> what happens next surprises everyone maybe Luminescene the most of all.

(So the story left off with a Carvanah attacking Luminescence while on a trip to the beach with this AU's Avengers team)((My key seems to be sticking so sorry about any missing letters or spaces))

Before Natasha was able to stand and go back into the water Steve brushed past her. She blinked in shock but only as long as that one blink before she was following right behind him.

Thor's battle instinct kicked in allowing him to be where Luminescence was once standing mear seconds after she went under. Her dark sapphire blood made it difficult to differentiate friend and foe. The mighty demi-god was caught betwixt reaching blindly into the water and either grabbing the attacker & causing the fair Luminescence to drown/grabbing the damsel & allowing the attacker to continued their assault or wait and hope that she could help would come/the attacker would be worded off by Luminescence's fierce counter-attack. He didn’t have time to choose as the first of his team-mates reached the ever growing dark blot in the clear ocean.  
The baring of weapons and sending their Pokémon to the daycare had been Steve’s idea (Thor had insisted on bringing Mjöllnir, not wanting to lose it again.) So Clint felt helpless and useless without his bow and sheath, it made his next actions easier to decide though. The marksman raced up to parking lot that their ‘family’ van was baking in the heat of the sun. Tony had souped it up and added JARVIS on as a replacement for on-star. “Jarv!” Clint huffed into the open space of the front seat. “Yes Mr. Barton, what may I assist you with today?” answered a suave British accent. Once Clint sucked in enough air he rushed out his command, ”Callthehospitalandgetsomeonedownher, NOW!” and with that he slid down the side of the van panting and coughing from the abuse he had put his lunges through.  
(Lum’s POV is being put here instead of at the top for the story line.)  
Scratching was doing nothing to the monster gnawing at her leg, it only left her digits raw and sore. Punching didn’t seem to deter it either, “Fuckfuckfuck!” Her mind screamed, the air left in her lungs was starting to burn. She knew that just letting the water in, letting herself drown would end the pain but she would be damned if after all the hell she went through in her (new) home reality be wasted in this one. She was going to get back to her Tony, her Clint, her Tasha, her Steve, her Phil, and Bruce. She was going to see Bruce again so help the Universe; she would fight whatever merciless god started the many world if she had to! But first she had to fight this thing whatever it was. “ashfuo;erhnfiu” a gargled screech sounded from the beast suggesting that her last punch had hurt, it had been done to a fin. “YES!” she had found a weak place now she was going to encroach upon that weakness. Luminescence grabbed at the fin ignoring the sting from her fingers and at last opened he mouth. “REAVE EENY ADY OWN RAD PMON” boomed above (was that up?) her, it didn’t make sense her mind was slipping being so oxygen deprived. Nothing mattered now, nothing. Lum seized the vulnerable fin with her teeth putting as much strength as she could into the bite. There was a snapping sound but if it was from her or it she couldn’t tell but a pained bubbling came from under her (?) but right afterwards it was she who was shrieking in agony. Everything was dark even though she could now feel the sun in her skin; her surroundings were fading away, voices called out to her but Luminescence was unable to understand let alone respond to their pleas. “Don’t kill it, don’t.” Fell out of her mouth before she even knew she had thought it. “Don’t kill my smiley, please.”  
Eyes fixed on the smudge of unfathomably dark cobalt everything else became indifferent and uncaring. This young woman that had just showed up in their lives, lost and heartbroken was dying right before his eyes. A light in his dim life was being snuffed out and all he could do was stare blankly as it happened. The ‘Big Guy’ roared his displeasure clawing his way out; that was his friend too! She had looked up at the Hulk unafraid maybe even uncaring the first time Bruce had lost control. Luminescence had rolled her eyes before she fluttered up to the Hulk’s shoulder landing gently there and began priming his unruly hair. Amazingly and to everyone’s surprise the Hulk had let her and had soon calmed enough for Bruce to take over his body again. And what was he doing as she died?! He was watching! Fucking watching….no he was watching but hulk was acting, jumping into the water wading ankle deep in the waist high ocean. “LEAVE SHINY LADY ALONE BAD POMON!” Hulk bellowed at the ocean’s surface.  
At first Tony was panicky because he had just witnessed the beginning of a brutal attack on a human by an unknown Pokémon. It was rear that a Pokémon attacked a human unprovoked but when it did happen the results were always gruesome. No Tony wasn’t panicking over that, not with Bruce growing in size and turning an angry (yes pun intended) shade of green. Tony could comfort a stressed Bruce; he was used to his partner getting a bit green around the gills. (I’m such a bad person. >.>’) Bruce just needed a few softly spoken words or a reminder to breath but Hulk was harder to comfort let alone calm. He hear Clint yelling somewhere behind him and he could see everyone else gathered around the last spot any of them had seen Lum. Hulk yelled but Tony couldn’t make it out and Steve was bending down in the blood smeared water just to stand back up but with a very blue, too blue Luminescence with a Carvanah attached to her upper shin.  
There was blood everywhere; the pale-blue girl in his arms was covered in her own bizarre blue blood. The fish Pokémon ripping away at her flesh was a different blue but it had begun to blend into hers. Steve used his powerful legs to hurdle through the waves and onto the beach where Tony and Clint were waiting both as white as ghosts. He didn’t give them another thought as he laid her on the sand; his main priority was getting that thing off her but first he would have to stop the bleeding. Steve reached down to his suit’s draw string and yanked it out tying it firmly around her thigh. He knew if she didn’t get to a doctor soon she would die, there had just been SO MUCH BLOOD, “Not here, don’t start thinking about that now. This is not like war, she will get help, and she is going to live!” His mind raced as fast as his heart but he had a job to do. Turning his attention to the offending monster, it had long, sharp teeth in rows digging into her leg. Every time it adjusted its grip blood would ooze from the already open wounds, “So no way I can pry it off.” He looked at it closer (more detail not as in getting closer, Steve is not stupid!) and to his great surprise he saw indentations on its dorsal fin. Cautiously he grabbed the fin; its skin grazed his fingers causing then to become red from irritation. The Pokémon reacted extremely to this action; it flailed its tail fin and rocked from side to side angrily. Actually it seemed distressed now and its breathing was labored, “Right fish, water. Its dying now too; what a waste.” He thought with a sigh. A small noise caught Steve attention, “Dunt kirl ut,dunt”. It was Luminescence, she was mumbling something but it was so quiet that he wasn’t sure if she was even forming words. “Dunt kill mah shimles, plaz.” He heard her that time it was barely intelligible but he had heard it. “Don’t kill it?! It wants to kill you!” he burst in frustration, how could she want it to survive when she might not. A hand was on his shoulder, it was an anchor bringing him back.  
Natasha clasped her hand on Steve’s shoulder pulling him back, to no prevail. The medics had arrived making their way urgently down the uneven sand banks. But if the super-soldier didn’t move they wouldn’t be able to work if he was in the way. It was Tony that spoke first, “Buddy, we have to move.” He replaced Nat’s hand with his own as her made room for the medics. Steve moved but not before he looked up at tony from his kneeling position looking right in the genius’s eyes and stating in a broken voice, “She doesn’t want it to die.” After that he let himself be hauled away by an also torn-up looking Thor.  
The EMTs had her in a gurney and into the ambulance in minutes already starting a transfusion and firing up the sirens. Half the team was too wrecked to accompany them to the hospital. Hulk was still out; Steve was shaking and trying (and failing) not to cry, and Thor other than have a lap full of sobbing super-soldier had a very dark look on his face like he would destroy the next thing that got to close. Tony was stuck trying to convince Hulk not to follow the ambulance, Natasha was trying to comfort Steve with soft spoken Russian. That left Clint the only one able to hop in after the second medic.  
The ride to the hospital seemed to take forever and pass him by all at once, he had been through this before with team-mates but it was different this time somehow. Clint thought it might be that it didn’t happen on a mission; he wasn’t in the mindset that someone he knew might die today. It had been a peaceful, happy day until then; nothing should have gone wrong. It was his fault she was even in the water to get mauled, he had snuck out late in the evening to buy a swim-suit in her size (that was her excuse for not swimming the first couple of days) and insisted that she at least use it once. The rush of hands exchanging medical equipment was dizzying and Clint was reminded why he hated going into medical at S.H.E.I.L.D. When they pulled into the ER a flock of trauma doctors and nurses rush forward interchanging information with the EMTs that where handing her off. One nurse took Clint aside. “Are you family?” she asked holding a clipboard close to her chest. His eyes flitted to the unconscious Luminescence. “She doesn’t have family; I’m a co-worker and friend.” Could telling the truth really leave a bitter taste in his mouth after so many years of lying? Well this was a shity way of finding that out. “Then would you fill out as much of this as you can?” The nurse handed over the clipboard, “Also do you know if she was a DNR?” (*Do not resuscitate)The question made Clint feel sick, Lum was a fighter she would never want to give up that fight. “No, she is not a DNR.”  
It was nearly an hour later when everyone else was able to join Clint in the waiting room. Bruce had a new pair of clothes on (car pants and one of Tony’s shirts that had been left in the van) and Steve had fading pink lines on his cheeks. Nat and Tony sat on either side of Steve both making contact, Thor was taking up a sofa that was against the adjoining wall still looking very grumpy Bruce had taken the last seat in the row leaning his head on Tony’s shoulder. Clit had taken to perching on the back on the sofa facing the doors that led to the operating rooms. He had refused to get down as he wanted to see the doctor before he could put a mask on his emotions; Clint wanted to know if she had passed. He didn’t want any of the surgeon’s pity or B.S. apologies, they deserved the courtesy of skipping the ‘we did all we could’ crap.  
A few more hours passed and Thor has drifted into a nap while still wearing his scowling demeanor. Natasha had called Phil to inform him and Fury of what happened Phil has shown up half an hour ago and was now consoling Clint. Nat looked over Steve and at Tony and Bruce. The lovers had ended up holding each other while Steve, the poor thing, had begun shedding tears again. He had been doing that off and on but she wasn’t sure how to help him, all her usual ways were not having any effect. Now all she could offer as relief was her hand to hold which he had taken, his grip was tight and caused her bones to creak with the pressure but if it helped him though this then it was worth it. Nat just hoped they wouldn’t have to wait much longer, no matter what the news may be.  
In all the years of being a handler for Clint Agent Philip had never seen the man willingly stay in a hospital. (Phil was blacked out/comatose after the first big battle that formed the Avengers in the first place so he didn’t actually see Clint spend all hours watching over him.) It was an alarming thing to think about so he didn’t; instead Phil dragged Clint along with him to the cafeteria to help him gather food and drinks for everyone. Years of experience being around people such as those on the team told him that none of them were going to leave until they heard so news on their bizarre assistant/unofficial team-mate. They were not going to take time to take care of themselves; it was up to him to keep them afloat in this hectic time. He made a note to find Captain Rogers a towel and a blanket it he could manage it, the poor man was still covered in blue inkiness that had dried before Phil even arrived.  
Bruce hated himself so much at the moment; he had lost it at the beach when his first aid knowledge could have been crustal instead he had been in the way as Hulk. The whole thing kept playing in his head taunting him with every mistake, everything he could have done to help. He had been the one to cover for Clint when the marksman went to buy the damned bikini; she should never have been in the water in the first place. Tony nudged his arm, “Stop it.” He whispered into Bruce’s ear sympathetically, “It’s no one’s fault. It happened, that’s that.” The shorter man scooted a bit closer rapping his arm around his depressed lover before he continued, “Right now all we can do, all we are able to do is hope. Bruce I know it’s hard to do but we need to keep hope, her team in whatever reality they are in need us to be here for her.” His voice was sad but strong reminding Bruce that Tony had lost so many people already, so many people that somewhere out in all the possible universes may be alive. The people he had lost may be alive somewhere too, his mother, god he hoped his mother was alive out there. “Alright” he choked out into Tony’s hair as he buried his face into the shorter man’s neck, “I’ll hope.”  
Blood still clung tightly to patches of Steve’s skin making his arms itch and his legs fidget with discomfort. It all had been too much for him to mentally handle, he had heard Natasha and Tony say something about PTD; Steve didn’t understand what it stood for but he knew it had to do with him seeing all their faces, the faces of every soldier that he had watched slowly die out in the field. He hadn’t said anything to the others but they seemed to understand for now all he could do was hold Natasha’s small, warm hand and try to keep the tears from pouring from his eyes. All he could do was force his body to not shake as his mind was overcome with memories.  
Thor’s ‘nap’ was more like Odin sleep, his mind and body needed rest after the draining incident. There were no dreams, no wavering of his outward demeanor. No one dare wake him.  
The doctors with swift hands and keen eyes work non-stop to control the bleeding. The Carvanah had let go not long after their appearance at the hospital’s ER. Upon its release the wild Pokémon was placed in a bucket of water where its status was ignored; Pokémon that attacked humans unprovoked are normally put down but the man who had accompanied her had specified that it was not to be killed. (Not that they were the ones that would decide its fate, which was left up to the authorities.) The Jenny’s had been notified about the attack but since it as in an operating room and the doctors needed all the room they could get, the Jenny officers could not take it into holding. Not one of the trauma crew cared if it dyed in the bucket only filled halfway because the life they were saving was on their table.  
Luminescence’s bones were hollow making them easily shattered but the onslaught of crunch attacks she had endured. The doctors saved what they could and replaced what couldn’t be salvaged with light-weight metal and strategically placed pins. Arteries and other veins had been difficult to fix because no one was sure if her body would reject donor ones, luckily her system was more human than bug/bird and took to the new blood-ways without trouble. The series of surgeries and procedures took so long and obscene amounts of plasma were used but she was alive.  
Waking up in a white room wasn’t as scary the fifth or sixth it happened though waking up in a white room when the last thing you remember is your own blood leaking out of you is a little frightening(well until you hear a thunder god sneeze, that is just so fucking cute that you have to forget your fear.) “God bless you.” That was Steve and now Tony was laughing. Lum wanted to tell the tall super-human why that was funny but when so tried to use her voice nothing happened, she cleared her throat to try again but the laughter stopped. “Joy be to us! Our ally has awakened at last!” Thor boomed happily, the grin was audible in his tone. Fear that had been lingering in her chest was chased away with that, a feeling of security took its place. Suddenly, well suddenly for an overly doped up on pain killer brain, a cup with a straw was shoved in her face. She followed the hand up the arm and stopped on the face of who was offering her this gift from the gods, “Drink.” Philip instructed simply holding the straw still so she could rap her parched lips around it and drink in greedily the cool liquid.  
“ow long ave I been out?” came her gravelly voice, roughed by lack of water and under use. Bruce answered after a long pause from everyone else. “Only a few days, they thought it might take a couple of weeks.” He sounded annoyed like he couldn’t believe how stupid they were. Tony piped up next, “Yeah missy do you know how much paper work Coulson is made us fill out because of your little snooze?” Most of the eyes in the room were fixed on him either glaring or gaping at his insensitivity while Thor looked back and forth from the man of iron and the maiden who spoke the language of the beasts; only Tony and Bruce were watching Luminescence fully. The tense silent was shattered by a giggle, a giggle that grew into a chuckle until it became a full on laugh until it turned into a coughing fit. Lum was holding her sides face….red from the hysterical snickers she had dissolved into. Phil helped her take another long gulp from the strawed cup. Thor and Tony joined in with her fit of giggles.  
Once all was calm again and Lum had been told about the state her leg had been left in and how it would take a long time before she would be able to walk unassisted and that she (and the others) did not in fact have to do paper work did she ask the question that had been weighing on her mind since she blacked out, “Is it okay, did the Pokémon make it?” Everyone grew quiet they had hoped that she wouldn’t remember or that she would have changed her mind about saving the offending monster. When they didn’t answer she asked again, “Did it survive?!” A hand was taking hers, it was warm and callused, familiar and yet so foreign. She looked up to Clint, his eyes clouded with anger and sorrow. She felt tears sting her eyes, “Th-they didn’t. No. I didn’t want it t-to be up down!” the statement came out as sobs.  
The rustling from behind him was audible as Natasha pulled out an oddly colored great ball. The poke’ ball was exchanged quickly between the hands of the set of ex-assassins. The hand holding Lum’s turned hers palm up. “We kept it but we all agree that you shouldn’t. That fucker nearly killed you.” His tone was as dark as his eyes but he pressed the poke’ ball into her open palm any way. “You’d better be able to domesticate the bastard before the trial; if you can make him listen then he has a chance to be pardoned.” If Luminescence had been not known him she would have sworn that her was delivering a death threat instead of giving advice.  
It felt heavy in her hand; this new pocket-monster resting in a sphere that’s physics were so beyond her birth world’s that it was scary. With time she knew that she would learn and understand all this new math and law that went hand-in-hand with understanding Pokémon but that scared her too, she didn’t want to be here long enough to understand, she wanted to go home but seeing as that wasn’t happening soon, “He will bend or break. I promise he will obey me.” The statement was a promise binding her and it. It… no He was her responsibility now.  
“So…” Phil asked interrupting her thoughts, “Are you going to name your new ward?” Luminescence smiles, tension over the upending fate of the Carvanah pushed aside. “Yeah, this asshat’s name is going to be Smiles.” Her smile turned into a smirk as she continued, “Because the little stinker has a permanent frown on his face, let’s just say it’s a bit of revenge.” The poke ball wobbled in her hand. ”Welcome to the family Smiles, you’re gonna hate it!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and critiques are welcomed and encouraged.


End file.
